Old School Delights OSD. A Hidden Gem @ The Esplanade Mall Singapore

We met up for lunch at Old School Delights @ The Esplanade today. I was delighted with the food here.



I say Old School Delights is a hidden gem.



Hidden because it is tucked away on level 2 of The Esplanade Mall (attached to the Esplanade Theatre). In an area teeming with hip and posh watering holes, I wasn't expecting to find the humble dishes that made my childhood so happy at my old school tuck shop.

Photo credit: National Archives of Singapore

A gem because it delighted me that Old School Delights' dishes taste just like those that I waited eagerly for, long ago everyday, for the recess bell to ring.




Boss Chye and wife Olivia were running Old School Delights at Upper Thomson Road when The Esplanade Mall invited them to move over here three years ago (in 2017).

Chye was an IT professional before joining Olivia whose family have long been in F & B, starting from her great grandfather who created the Singapore Sling when he was a bartender at the Raffles Hotel's Long Bar.



Chye and Olivia are true old school, hands on restauranteurs who insist on making their sambals, sauces, curries, just about everything from scratch from raw ingredients with decades old heirloom recipes. No MSG, no factory made pre-mix nonsense here.



The salty umami taste of tau cheo (fermented bean paste) in Old School Delights' mildly spicy mee siam reminds me of the mee siam at my primary school tuck shop in 1960s Singapore. It's been decades since I had mee siam that tastes like this. I also like it that they are light handed on the tamarind, so the dish is not cringy sour. (Mee siam price $5.80+)



Old School Delights' curry laksa appeals to many with its mild well balanced sweet savoury spicy flavours with aromatic highlights from chopped daun kesum (laksa leaf). They are generous with the cockles which are done medium rare. Personally, I prefer my laksa curry to have more savoury umami taste from more hae bee (dried shrimps). (Laksa price $7.80+)



Nasi lemak which we take for granted as a "simple" dish actually has many components and required a lot of effort to put together i.e. not so simple. Old School Delight's rice is well infused with coconut flavour and aroma even though it is not greasy. I like the taste of the savoury spicy rempah (spice paste) on the chicken wing. The sambal chili is mildly savoury spicy. (Nasi lemak price $7.80+)



Old School Delights' must-try beef rendang set comes with beef cheek rendang, tauhu goreng, Nyonya chap chai (stewed vegetables with soy sauce) and boiled rice.



The star in the cast is this beef cheek rendang. The thick strips of beef cheek are cooked in coconut milk and spices till they are tenderly juicy and saturated with spice flavours and aroma.

The beef cheek has jellied visceral gelatinous tissue which made every bite oh... so... smooth and juicy soft. All the spice flavours and aroma packed into the soft tissues just burst in the mouth with every chew.



The tauhu goreng is nice too. The fried tofu is soft inside and the thick nutty sauce of crushed peanuts and spices was mild and flavourful.



Old School Delights' chicken chop is a must-try too.



The large thick slab of boneless chicken thigh is sous-vide cooked and then grilled with black pepper just before serving. I love this tender juicy sweet chicken with a little peppery heat and nice savoury toasty flavour on the outside.



Chye is proud of his salmon set which comes blanketed with mildly savoury spicy house made sambal, and achar (crunchy pickled vegetables), grilled tomatoes and rice. It's a wholesome, complete meal.



Tender sous-vide cooked salmon grilled with olive oil to a slight crisp outside before serving. Nice savoury sweetish flavour without that usual fishy taste that I don't like.



Now we know a foodie hideout to get good local food in a comfortable environment at reasonable prices, right in the dining and entertainment core of Singapore.

Disclaimer: Please note that this was an invited tasting.



Restaurant name: Old School Delights. It's Recess Time!
Address: 8 #02-25 Raffles Avenue Esplanade Mall, S039802 (the Esplanade Mall building is attached to the Esplanade Theatres)
Tel: 6909 3507
Hours: 12:00 noon - 10:00pm

No pork, no lard





Date visited: 28 Feb 2020